Portable cotton-picking machine.



No. 887,958. PATENTED MAY 19,1908.

W151. NIEMEYER. PORTABLE 00mm PIOKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZB. 1906.

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N6. 887,958. PATENTED MAY 19; 1908. W. H. NIEMEYBR.

PORTABLB COTTON PIGKING MACHINE. APPLIOATIQN FILED JULY 26, 1906.

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position the bolls of cotton on the iGiftlFiQlE.

WILLIAM-HENRY NIEMEYER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

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To all whom it magi-concern:

Be it known that 1, .WrLLrAir. HENRY Nin sinrnn, a civilian of the United States, resid in at Los-Angeles, inthe county of Los Anes Fatate of California, have invented f new and useful Improvements in Portable @ottonficlring Machines, oi which the following is a specification.

My invent on relates to a manually operated portable ccttonpiclnngmachine that operates on the conveyer principle and an ob ect thereof s to provide a machine which .enaioles an operator to pick much larger quantities of cotton in a given time than can beKi-ched by hand.

nether object is to provide a machine which will enable an operator to assume an erect posit on while operating the machine. A further object is to provide a machine that can-be carried by ancperator without fatigue, that-is durable in construction and eiiicientin oneration.

l accomplish these objects by means oi the device described herein and illustrated in the 'tary perspective view of a portion of the conveyer, detachingcylinder and comb. Fig. 5.-is an enlarged detailed section of the operating handle.

The machine consists of a frame 6, preferably constructed of wood, having an opening 7 at the outer end. Mounted on inside of the frame, and either end thereof: are conveyor drums 8 and 9, on which is mounted an endless conveyor belt 10 nreierably constructed of canvas. To the face of this belt are secured a plurality of. icks 1'1, the outer ends of which are incline in the direc tion in which the belt travels and are preferably secured thereto in transverse rows equal distances apart? Mounted in bearings 12 on the outer end of the frame and below the outer end of the conveyer drum 9 and slightly in advance thereof a shaft 13 to the periphery-of which is secured a plurality of fingers lsarranger in 'se rows and inclined in the direction in winch the shaft 13 rotates. The purpose this mechanism is to guide or bringinto specification oi Letters Eatent.

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ting drum 16.

,nt so Patented. May 19, 1908.

to enable the picks 11 on the. conveyer belt to extract the cotton therefrom.

Mounted in hearings in the discharge opening 15 and below the conveyor belt is a dctachi'ng drum 16, to the periphery of which is secured a plurality of fingers 17 inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation of said drum. The purpose of this detaching drum is to remove the cotton from the picksll of the conveyer belt. A comb 18 has a series of teeth 1Q which project between-the fingers on the detaching drum. This comb removes the material from the detaching drum and permits it to all through the discharge tube 20 which is secured to the discharge opening 15, to the bag 21 attached to the operator.

Transverscly mounted in the frame near" the inner end thereof and between the upper and lowerpart of the conveyer belt is oper: ating shaft 22 which projects on either side of the frame. Mounted on one side of this operating shaft is driving gear 23 which meshes with pinion 24 which cured to one end of the shaft 0. the detach- Mounted on one end of the shaft of the convcyer drum 8 is pinion 25 which meshes with the driving gear-through an idler pinion 25 which issecured to the side of the frame. The conveyer drum 9 has a pinion 27 secured to one end of its shaft which meshes with a pinion 28 secured to one end of the positioning shaft 13 by which means the shaft is driven.

The operating shaft 22 is square on each end and is provided with annulargrooves .29 which are adapted to receive a securing pin 30 which is slidingly mounted in arm 31- of the reniovable'operating handle 82.

(in the inner end of the frame is a cushion 33 which extends transversely thereof and is adapted to bear" against the operator. Pivotallysecured to either side of the cushion are metallic shoulder attaching books 34 which are joined together by transverse bar 35. Secured to the sides of thelrame are directing handles 36, one of which may1 be grasped by the operator While the-mac inc is' being operate On either side of the cushion 33 are body straps 37, which, when secured to an operator serve to hold the ma chine firmly in place while it is being oper- 3 operation of the machine is as follows: the operator enters'a cotton held the is secured to nan lay the inion is se- I I ii. 1 0

attaching hooks 34. and the hody strag'is 37. The operator then grasps one oi the directing handles 36 and the operating, handle secured to the (,lriving gear, directing the end ol, the machine so that the fingers on the positioning shai't will contact with a ripe cotton holl so as to bring it into a position so that the picks 1]. on the conveyor helt can gather the cotton from the boll. The direction of roiation of the conveyor helt heing outwaiwll carries the cottongathered from the holl rear- Wardly to the detaching cylinder which ro tates in the same direction in which the lower portion of the conveyor belt moves. The. ringers of this detaching drum being inciined in the opposite direction in which the drum is rotating, enables the lingers to readily letach the cotton from the inclined picks i 'i on the conveyor belt. 7 detached from the conveyor halt the teeth on the comb 18 permits the cotton to. fall from the detaching drum through the dis charge tube 20 to the bag 21 carried. by the operator.

It will he noticed that hy means of the gearing by which the. machine is operated I can regulate the speed of the several mechanisms; for instance, a detaching drum rotating twice as fast as a conveyei' hclt will quickly and easily remove the cotton from the. belt and a conveyor belt moving twice quickly a positioning means will remove from the positioning means any cotton which may adhere thereto. i a

It Wiil thus he seen from the foregoing doscription that .I have produced a nmchine which is durable in construction, simple and ell'ective in operation and which is capable of gathering much larger quantities of cotton in a given time'than could he gathered other- Wise.

llaving descrihed my invention What I claim as now and desire to SU'UI'O by Letters Patent is:

i in a machine oi the character herein described, a frame; an endless holt mounted on inner and outer drums revoluhly mounted in said frame; a plurality of picks secured to the outer Face of said belt; a POSltlOHiYIg shaft rovoluhlv mountodin the outer end of said frame; a plurality of fingers secured to said shal't a detaching drum revohihlymounted in said frame adjacent the conveyor; a plu- After cotton las heen ralitv of fingers secured to said drum; detaching means secured tosaid frame; anoperating shaft transversely mounted in said frame and ektending beyond the sides thereof; a driving gear mounted onsaid shaft; a pinion in mesh with said driving gear secured. to the detaching drum; on idler pinion mounted on the outer side oi said frame in secured to the outer face of said belt; a positioning shalt rovoluhly mounted in the outer end of said frame havinga plurality of fingers inclined in the direction of rotation of said shaft; a detaching drum revolubly mounted in said frame adjacent the conveyor, said drum having a plurality of fingers inclined in the direction opposite the rotation of said drum; a detaching comh mounted in the. frame, the teeth. of said comb projecting hetwecn the vfingers secured to the. periphery o'l' said detaching drum; supporting means secured to said frame; an operating shaft transversely mounted in said frame and extending beyond the sides thereof; a driving gear mounted on said shaft; a pinion in mesh with said driving gear secured to the detaching drum; an idler pinion mounted on the outer side. of said frame. in mesh with the driving gear; a pinion secured to the shaft of the inner drum of the'conveyer m mesh withthe idler pinion; a pinion secured to the shaft of the outer drum of the convever; a pinion in mesh with said last named pinion secured to the. outer end of the positioning shaft; and means to operate the driving gear. In witness that I claim the foregoing l have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day of July, 1906. i

WILLIAM HENRY KlEMEYl'lli. \Vitnesses:

Eoiuonn A. S'rRAUsE, G. i ilARPHAM. 

